HDR Technology – Beta vs VHS all over again

HDR Technology – Beta vs VHS all over again

As we prepare for the next generation of 4K Ultra HD content updates to the UltraFlix network we find ourselves amidst another format war. Remember when there was Beta and VHS. Beta was better and VHS still won out. We appear to be on the brink of a similar battle for the next generation of 4K TVs. While DolbyVision has superior color gamut (rec 2020 versus DCI P3) and is spec’d to a maximum of 10,000 nits versus 4,000 in HDR10, it currently appears that HDR10 is winning out with the TV manufacturers. One of the biggest issues on the content side is that you still have to go through Dolby to get your color work done, which can be a hindrance. Fortunately we’ve always started with a 16 bit color HDR master for everything we work on, so as it’s brought down through the process, and finally delivered over the internet to your TV it’s source material can always be revisited as the 4K Ultra HD space matures.

With HDR tv’s now becoming standard fare in the consumer space, remastering everything we have into HDR capable is the next task for the studio team. Exciting times as the home movie experience is now surpassing that of the movie theaters in terms of quality visuals.